1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a gutter cleaning device and, more particularly, to a self-cleaning and rotatable gutter guard that is power-operable with or without direct user input.
2. Prior Art
Gutters are commonly used on buildings to collect rainwater flowing from a sloped roof and to direct the rainwater away from the building. Gutters not only prevent soil erosion adjacent to the building but also reduce damage to foundations and basements caused by water seepage into the soil adjacent to the building. A problem associated with gutters is the tendency to collect leaves and other debris within the gutter. Often the collected leaves and other debris clog the gutter rendering the gutter ineffective to collect rainwater. A gutter that becomes clogged with debris may overflow leading to landscaping erosion, damage to foundations and basements. Water seepage from a clogged gutter under the eaves of a roof can cause structural damage to the facia and soffits of a roof, and also to building walls and ceilings.
Water seepage and overflow from a blocked gutter can also enhance the potential for mold and fungal growth within the attic, adjacent walls and basements of a building. A clogged gutter can also cause structural damage at the gutter attachment points and damage to the gutter itself (bending and warping) due to the increased weight of water and debris within the gutter. Additionally, a clogged gutter can also provide a site for insect infestations e.g., mosquitoes.
Periodically cleaning out leaves, twigs and other debris that normally accumulate in gutters is typically a maintenance nuisance. For owners and occupiers of one, two and other multiple-family dwellings, this chore usually involves climbing up a ladder and manually removing such debris along the entire lengths of the gutters. Such an exercise involves risk and can even be dangerous. The accidents from falls off of ladders in attempts to complete this cleaning chore can result in sprains, broken limbs and other disabling injuries that are well documented in yearly statistics.
Gutter guards are devices that are placed over or in a gutter that act as filtration devices designed to prevent large debris (e.g., twigs and leaves) from entering a gutter while allowing rainwater to freely enter the gutter, with the aim to reduce or eliminate the need to manually clean a gutter. Commercially available gutter guards and gutter guards described in the literature are static devices comprised of a protective screen or louvered material that are placed over the open-topped gutter, or are static devices comprised of a porous sponge-like material placed within the gutter. While placing these protective static devices over or within open-topped gutters has reduced the frequency of such necessary maintenance, it has not eliminated it or the need to climb up a ladder and manually clean out the gutters.
These protective screens, louvered covers and porous sponge-like materials cannot completely eliminate all debris from entering a gutter, and eventually admit small or broken leaves, pine needles, small twigs and other debris. Cleaning gutters equipped with such screens and covers tends to increase the maintenance hazard as then, in addition to manually cleaning out the gutter, the protective screen or cover also has to be removed and replaced or cleaned. This has the potential to require several more trips up and down a ladder, thus enhancing the potential risk of falling from a ladder.
Due to the static nature of the commercially available gutter guards, all such devices rely on wind or rain to displace large debris from the top of the gutter guard. In the absence of heavy rainfall or strong wind, debris can accumulate on the static gutter guard and can cause the guard to become blocked over time. Additionally, the mere presence of a static material on the top of a gutter will act as an obstruction when compared to an open uncovered gutter that can potentially retard the flow of rainwater entering a gutter and allow rainwater to spill over the edge of a gutter and to the ground below, especially during heavy rainfall, or when a static gutter guard becomes partially blocked over time. During colder weather, rainwater that spills over the edge of a gutter and falls to the ground below can freeze forming sheets of ice leading to the potential for slip-fall accidents.
During winter the presence of a static cover over a gutter can enhance the potential for snow to settle on the gutter, making the gutter ineffective, raising the potential for ice accumulation on the ground below the gutter, and allowing for ice to build up under the shingles during thaw and refreeze. Additionally, accumulation of snow and ice on the gutter during winter due to the presence of a static gutter guard can lead to potential icicle formation from the edge of a gutter, posing a potential hazard due to icicles falling to the ground below.
Accordingly, a need remains for a dynamic self-cleaning gutter guard device that would maintain a debris-free gutter to overcome the above noted shortcomings.